It was only to be a short trip, but my seatmate was in a friendly mood. Pulling out a pack of cigarettes, he offered me one. I thanked him, but mentioned that I was not a smoker. Looking disappointed, he then produced a bottle of whiskey and invited me to have a drink. Again I refused, assuring him that my reason was that I did not drink.
“All right,” he said, “I see you are a man of principle, and I respect you.”
“No,” I replied, “I am a Christian—and I wish you knew my Saviour! He is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He died for you and me. He would make you a happy man; I wish you knew Him.”
He dropped back in his seat as if someone had hit him and was silent for a minute or two. Then he took a card from his pocket and showed me a man’s name and address written on it. He said, “Do you see that? That’s the name of the very best friend that ever a man had. I went to say good-by to him on Monday and he said to me, ‘I’ve prayed for your conversion every day for five years, and my prayers have not been answered yet, but I’ve had a dream about you. You’re going back home, and I dreamt that you’ll meet a perfect stranger who will speak to you, and my prayers will be answered.’”
“It looks to me,” said he, “that his dream is going to come true.”
“It certainly does,” I said, “and you could have no better time than this!”
We had a serious talk about how we all, like sheep, had gone astray from God and turned everyone to his own way, and consequently all deserved the judgment of the just and almighty God. He felt that what I said to him was true. He had often heard the gospel, and he knew that his life of God-forgetfulness had been entirely sinful.
When he said this I repeated for him the words, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. When we were yet without strength . . . Christ died for the ungodly, and God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
These were good words for him to hear, for they were words from God’s infallible Book, words from God that he needed—words that you need, whoever you are who read them here—all need the glorious gospel concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have heard several times from that man since then. He tells me of his thankfulness for our talk, and of the change that the knowledge of Christ has made in his life.
You may wonder why I am telling you this, since the man involved has no claim on your interest. The reason is that there is someone probably praying for you, someone who has prayed for years, and the Saviour who saved him has also a very great claim on you. He has the claim that creation gives, for He made you. He has the claim that His sovereign rights give, for He is Lord of all. He has the claim that love gives, for He laid down His life to save you because He loved you.
Will you not own His claims and confess Him as your Lord and Saviour? If you do you will have Him as your Friend—the Friend who never fails.
If you refuse His claims, you must have Him as your Judge, and from this there will be no escape.
How shall we escape, if we neglect
so great salvation?